
Making Never-Never Land
Race and Law in the Creation of Puerto Rico
Monica A. Jimenez(Author)
The University of North Carolina Press
Published on 4. June 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
190 pages
978-1-4696-7845-0 (ISBN)
Description
Puerto Rico has been an "unincorporated territory" of the United States for over a century. For much of that time, the archipelago has been mostly invisible to US residents and neglected by the government. Recently, a series of crises, from outsized debt to climate fueled disasters, have led to massive protests and brought Puerto Rico greater visibility.
Monica A. Jimenez argues that to fully understand how and why Puerto Rico finds itself in this current moment of precarity, we must look to a larger history of US settler colonialism and racial exclusion in law. The federal policies and jurisprudence that created Puerto Rico exist within a larger pantheon of exclusionary, race-based laws and policies that have carved out "states of exception" for racial undesirables: Native Americans, African Americans, and the inhabitants of the insular territories. This legal regime has allowed the federal government plenary or complete power over these groups. Jimenez brings these histories together to demonstrate that despite Puerto Rico's unique position as a twenty-first-century colony, its path to that place was not exceptional.
Monica A. Jimenez argues that to fully understand how and why Puerto Rico finds itself in this current moment of precarity, we must look to a larger history of US settler colonialism and racial exclusion in law. The federal policies and jurisprudence that created Puerto Rico exist within a larger pantheon of exclusionary, race-based laws and policies that have carved out "states of exception" for racial undesirables: Native Americans, African Americans, and the inhabitants of the insular territories. This legal regime has allowed the federal government plenary or complete power over these groups. Jimenez brings these histories together to demonstrate that despite Puerto Rico's unique position as a twenty-first-century colony, its path to that place was not exceptional.
Reviews / Votes
"Jime&769;nez presents an insightful legal analysis of Puerto Rico and how the U.S. government treats it. . . . Both scholars and general readers interested in learning more about Puerto Rico's past and recent history will appreciate this work."-Library JournalMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Chapel Hill
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
304 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4696-7845-0 (9781469678450)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2024
The University of North Carolina Press
€19.49
Available for download
Person
Monica A. Jimenez is assistant professor of African and African Diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin.